Written Answers Tuesday 6 June 2006

Scottish Executive

Angling

Alex Fergusson (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the value of recreational sea angling is to the Scottish economy.

Patricia Ferguson: This information is not held centrally.

Angling

Alex Fergusson (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of visitors to Scotland participated in recreational sea angling in each of the last five years.

Patricia Ferguson: On average, 50,000 UK visitors to Scotland took part in sea angling each year over the last five years (less than 1% of all UK visits). No information is collected on overseas participants.

Angling

Alex Fergusson (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken any studies to determine the economic potential of recreational sea angling and, if not, what plans it has to do so.

Patricia Ferguson: The Scottish Executive has not carried out any such studies and currently has no plans to do so.

Autism

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many records of needs appeals there were in each year from 1999 to 2005 and, of these, what percentage were (a) successful and (b) in respect of children with an autistic spectrum disorder, broken down by local authority.

Robert Brown: There was a small number of appeals at national level and, in order to prevent disclosure of individuals, it is not possible to provide a breakdown by local authorities. The following table sets out the numbers of appeals received in each year; the numbers of appeals in respect of pupils with autism spectrum disorder, and the outcomes.

  Record of Needs Appeals referred to Scottish Ministers, 1999-2005

  

 Year
 Number of Record of Needs Appeals Referred to Scottish Ministers
 Number of Appeals in Respect of Pupils with ASD
 Number of Decisions Upholding the Parental Appeal


 1999
 36
 10
 18


 2000
 29
 *
 12


 2001
 34
 9
 23


 2002
 15
 5
 12


 20031
 20
 *
 7


 20041
 14
 7
 5


 20051
 7
 *
 *



  Notes:

  *Where the number is under five, the true figure has not been revealed for disclosure purposes.

  1. Data for upheld parental appeals exclude a small number of appeals with decisions still pending.

Autism

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many special educational needs placement appeals were made to appeals hearing committees in each year from 1999 to 2005 and, of these, what percentage were (a) successful and (b) in respect of children with an autistic spectrum disorder, broken down by local authority.

Robert Brown: The Executive collects information about the numbers of refused placing request references made to education authority appeal committees. This is available at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/16412/ECS2006Publ.

  The information, however, does not indicate whether the child or young person has additional support needs.

Autism

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many special educational needs placement appeals were made to sheriff courts in each year from 1999 to 2005 and, of these, what percentage were (a) successful and (b) in respect of children with an autistic spectrum disorder, broken down by local authority.

Robert Brown: The Executive collects information about the numbers of refused placing request references made to sheriff courts. This is available at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/16412/ECS2006Publ.

  The information, however, does not indicate whether the child or young person has additional support needs.

Autism

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children with an autistic spectrum disorder were given a school placement outwith their local authority area in each year from 1999 to 2005, broken down by local authority.

Robert Brown: The information requested is not held centrally.

Bridges

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much its bridge toll impact study will cost.

Tavish Scott: We will engage independent consultants to carry out the study through a competitive tendering process. It would therefore be inappropriate to speculate on the costs of the study at this stage.

Bridges

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will fund its bridge toll impact study.

Tavish Scott: The study will be funded from the Executive’s transport programme.

Bridges

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its preferred outcome is from the bridge toll impact study.

Tavish Scott: We will undertake a robust examination of costs and impacts of the bridge tolls, and examine carefully any evidence submitted by individuals and organisations in the course of the study. There is no preferred or predetermined outcome.

Bridges

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will abolish the tolls on the Forth and Tay road bridges should that be the recommendation of its bridge toll impact study.

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when a decision on tolls on the Tay road bridge is likely to be announced.

Tavish Scott: We will consider the outcomes of the study carefully before taking decisions on the way forward.

Bridges

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will release the names of all those submitting tenders to conduct its bridge toll impact study.

Tavish Scott: A deadline has not yet been set for the submission of tenders. A decision on whether the identities of those submitting tender bids will be published will be taken in due course.

Bridges

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the deadline is for the submission of tenders by parties who wish to conduct its bridge toll impact study.

Tavish Scott: A deadline has not yet been set for the submission of tenders. We expect to appoint suitable consultants by the end of the summer.

Bridges

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much revenue it estimates will be generated by Tay road bridge tolls between May and December 2006.

Tavish Scott: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-21720 on 10 January 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Bridges

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why it waited until May 2006 to announce details of its bridge tolls study after giving an initial indication in March 2006 that it would undertake this work.

Tavish Scott: Early work in preparation for the study has been undertaken since the initial announcement on 30 March 2006, which led to the announcement of the study details on 17 May 2006.

Bridges

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on examining the issue of bridge tolls since 2000.

Tavish Scott: The costs of consultancy work, temporary staff, printing, publishing and other costs associated with the two phase tolled bridges review total some £315,795 between 2003-04 and 2005-06. The costs of officials’ time and expenses are not separately identified.

Bridges

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why a specific examination of the impact of toll charges was not required in advance of the removal of tolls from the Erskine and Skye bridges.

Tavish Scott: Phase One of the tolled bridges review included an examination of the impact of the then existing tolling structures, and the way in which potential changes to tolls could help achieve the Scottish Executive’s environmental and economic objectives of reducing pollution and congestion. Phase Two included an examination of the broader issues relating to the management, operation and maintenance of the tolled bridges. Ministers’ decisions to end tolling at both Skye and Erskine bridges followed the principles established in the review, and the outcomes of those examinations.

Bridges

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether tolls on the Tay and Forth road bridges will be temporarily removed for any period during its bridge toll impact study.

Tavish Scott: Ministers do not propose to seek any temporary removal of the tolls.

Child Poverty

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the level of child poverty was in Dundee and what funding was allocated to address this issue in (a) 2000-01, (b) 2001-02, (c) 2002-03, (d) 2003-04, (e) 2004-05 and (f) 2005-06, broken down by local authority ward area.

Malcolm Chisholm: This information requested is not available. Child poverty is tackled in a cross-cutting manner through investment across a range of portfolios. Information on expenditure under these programmes is not available at a ward area level and official information on levels of child poverty is taken from UK datasets which do not provide breakdowns at local authority level.

  Across Scotland as a whole, since 1996-97 we have lifted 130,000 children out of relative low income (370,000 to 240,000 – after housing costs) and nearly two thirds of children from absolute low income (from 370,000 to 130,000 after housing costs).

  The official source of low income data for Scotland is the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) dataset available from 1994-95. This is derived from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The sample size of the FRS in Scotland is relatively small and can only be used to provide information for Scotland as a whole.

Children

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children referred to the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration on grounds of having committed an offence were under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs at the time of the alleged offence in each year since 1999.

Robert Brown: The information requested is not held centrally.

Debt

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met the Committee of Scottish Clearing Banks to discuss bank arrestment and what issues were raised.

Allan Wilson: Scottish Executive officials last met the Committee of Scottish Clearing Bankers on 9 January 2006.

  At that meeting there was a general discussion about the intended reform of bank arrestment, looking in particular at the cost to the banks of dealing with arrestments where there is no account, and the way in which the banks deal with the administration of arrestments of joint bank accounts.

Debt Management

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many money advisers are accredited to provide advice on the use of debt arrangement schemes.

Allan Wilson: As at 19 May 2006, there are 290 money advisers who have been trained on the debt arrangement scheme, and can advise on it. Sixty-three of those advisers are fully approved and can apply for debt payment programmes on behalf of debtors.

Debt Management

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the Debt Arrangement Scheme to enable more debtors to be included.

Allan Wilson: A debtor eligible for the Debt Arrangement Scheme must apply for a debt payment programme through an approved money adviser.

  A lower than expected number of money advisers have become approved. In order to increase take up by debtors it will be necessary to first increase the number of approved advisers.

  With that in mind, the Executive reviewed the Debt Arrangement Scheme between December 2005 and February 2006. As a result of that review the Executive announced on 24 May 2005 that the Scheme would be amended to allow for a payment programme to include debt relief.

  This reform is expected to lead to an increase in the number of approved money advisers, and thereby enable more debtors to be included in the scheme.

Dentistry

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the first supplementary question to question S2O-9833 by Lewis Macdonald on 18 May 2006 ( Official Report , c. 25824), when a detailed assessment of progress against each milestone, target and impact set out in An Action Plan for Improving Oral Health and Modernising NHS Dental Services in Scotland will be published.

Lewis Macdonald: I have placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre an assessment of progress against milestones and targets for the first year (2005-06) set out in An Action Plan for Improving Oral Health and Modernising NHS Dental Services, 2005-2008 (Bib. number 39730).

Economy

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the value was of Scottish exports to each other country within the European Union in the last year for which figures are available, also expressed as a percentage of the total value of Scottish exports to EU countries.

Nicol Stephen: The following table details the value and percentage of Scottish Exports to other countries within the European Union for 2004.

  Table 1: Estimated Scottish Exports to EU countries, 2004

  

 
Estimated Value of Scottish Exports 
(£ Million)
 Estimated Percentage


 All EU countries 
 8,825
 100%


 Netherlands 
 1,645
 18.6%


 Germany 
 1,600
 18.1%


 France 
 1,165
 13.2%


 Spain 
 775
 8.8%


 Eire 
 700
 7.9%


 Belgium 
 555
 6.3%


 Italy 
 525
 5.9%


 Sweden 
 380
 4.3%


 Denmark 
 325
 3.7%


 Finland 
 315
 3.6%


 Portugal 
 155
 1.8%


 Greece 
 150
 1.7%


 Poland 
 120
 1.4%


 Austria 
 110
 1.2%


 Czech Republic 
 95
 1.1%


 Hungary 
 90
 1.0%


 Lithuania 
 25
 0.3%


 Cyprus 
 20
 0.2%


 Luxembourg 
 20
 0.2%


 Slovakia 
 15
 0.2%


 Estonia 
 10
 0.1%


 Latvia 
 10
 0.1%


 Malta 
 10
 0.1%


 Slovenia 
 10
 0.1%



  Source: Scottish Executive: Global Connections Survey 2004.

  Estimates are rounded to the nearest £5 million and exclude exports from some service sectors: air and water transport; financial intermediation; insurance and pension funding sewage and refuse disposal.

Emergency Services

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has been consulted on the proposed privatisation of air search and rescue services and, if so, what concerns it expressed.

Tavish Scott: Control and tasking of the air search and rescue service is a reserved matter and will remain with the UK Government. No consultation took place. The Department for Transport and Ministry of Defence (MoD) initiated a competition under the Private Finance Initiative, and the service will continue to be managed jointly by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the MoD. The Scottish Executive has responsibility for managing the consequences arising from civil emergencies and works closely with the UK Government and a variety of organisations in ensuring emergency preparedness.

Employment

Eleanor Scott (Highlands and Islands) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the job gains or losses associated with the development of a net servicing station at Stromeferry.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive has undertaken no such assessment. An independent Economic Impact Assessment into potential job displacement as a result of the proposed development has however been undertaken on behalf of Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

European Funding

John Swinburne (Central Scotland) (SSCUP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will endorse South Lanarkshire Council’s submission to the Department of Trade and Industry that assisted area status should be retained for the East Kilbride and west Clydesdale areas.

Nicol Stephen: The new Assisted Areas map will be determined in line with the broad criteria set out by the European Commission. The designation of Assisted Areas in the UK is a reserved matter and we are working closely with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and other Whitehall Departments to ensure a fair and equitable outcome for Scotland. In this, full account will continue to be taken of the views put forward by all interested parties in response to the on-going consultation process.

Further and Higher Education

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will direct all colleges to undertake disclosure checks for all staff who have contact with under 18-year-olds and vulnerable adult learners.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive has no powers to direct Scotland’s Colleges of further and higher education. However, we issued guidance in May 2005 to advise that colleges should not place staff without an enhanced disclosure in a position of trust for school pupils or students under 18 or vulnerable adults. It is recommended best practice that all college staff should be actively encouraged to undergo voluntary standard or enhanced disclosure, and that this should be renewed every three years, reflecting the general practice of other public service bodies.

  In addition, the Executive is working collaboratively with Scotland’s colleges and other partners to enhance systems of protection for those under 18. This work includes the production of a best practice guide; specialised staff development opportunities provided by the Scottish Further Education Unit; updated professional standards for college lecturers which refer explicitly to the protection and welfare of children, young people and vulnerable learners, and improving the disclosure system itself.

Health

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects there to be a return to a full and regular supply of hormone replacement medication.

Lewis Macdonald: In the UK, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for the policy and regulation of product information for medicines.

  The agency has advised that they are working closely with the pharmaceutical company involved to facilitate a return to normal supply as soon as possible.

Health

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive which medical conditions, other than obesity, have been cited as requiring liposuction to be performed on the NHS on children under 16.

Lewis Macdonald: The total number of episodes involving children receiving liposuction procedures over the period 2000-2005 was 47. The following table lists the conditions for which this treatment was given.

  Main Diagnosis Made for Children Under 16 Years Old, Receiving a Liposuction Procedure. NHS Scotland, Calendar Years 2000-05.

  

 Description


 Hypertrophy of breast


 Benign lipomatous neoplasm


 Haemangioma and lymphangioma, any site


 Other plastic surgery for unacceptable cosmetic appearance


 Other congenital malformations of skin


 Other congenital malformations of male genital organs


 Facial nerve disorders


 Atrophic disorders of skin


 Hypertrophic disorders of skin


 Calcification and ossification of muscle


 Congenital malformations of breast


 Traumatic amputation of wrist and hand


 Follow-up examination after treatment for conditions other than malignant neoplasms



  Source: ISD SMR01. Ref: ISD/HIG/IR2006-01620. Date: 1 June 2006.

Health

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is NHS practice to offer children undergoing surgery for obesity on the NHS support and guidance to facilitate a change in lifestyle and prevent recurrence of weight problems.

Lewis Macdonald: The practice of surgery for obesity on children is rare. NHS treatment for obesity in childhood should be in line with the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network’s clinical guideline on the Management of Obesity in Children and Young People which is available at www.sign.co.uk . This includes recommendations for lifestyle changes such as increases in physical activity and reductions in energy intake, as well as referral on to secondary care where necessary.

Individual Learning Accounts

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether funding is available in the current financial year through Scottish Enterprise Dumfries and Galloway to enable learners to set up individual learning accounts.

Nicol Stephen: Funding is available for learners resident anywhere in Scotland to set up individual learning accounts, including in the Dumfries and Galloway area.

  The delivery agencies responsible for enabling learners to set up individual learning accounts are the Student Awards Agency for Scotland and learndirect scotland.

Judicial Appointments

Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions the First Minister has had with the Advocate General on the continuing independence of judges appointed to the Scottish courts and, in particular, the appointment of clerks to serve them.

Cathy Jamieson: The First Minister has devolved responsibility for the appointment of judges and he has had no discussions with the Advocate General about these matters. The appointment of clerks to serve judges is the responsibility of the Scottish Court Service (SCS). Plans for recruitment and training of clerks to fill current and future vacancies are discussed between the SCS and the senior judges.

Languages

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it offers to businesses to develop European language skills among their employees.

Allan Wilson: The enterprise networks provide assistance to businesses on a wide range of issues, including information, advice and guidance on European language skills. Their websites provide access to resources such as free online courses in a variety of European languages from the BBC, advice from learndirect scotland on local language classes, and links to other organisations such as the Business Language Information Service.

Marine Environment

Eleanor Scott (Highlands and Islands) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-19411 and S2W-19412 by Nicol Stephen on 10 October 2005 and to S2O-9658 by Allan Wilson on 27 April 2006, whether it will include locally produced renewable hydrogen systems in its forthcoming consultation on changes to the Renewables Obligation Scotland to provide a source of long-term funding to marine developers.

Nicol Stephen: The consultation on changes to the Renewables Obligation Scotland focuses on making amendments for wave and tidal technology.

  I announced on 24 May funding of £1.5 million to support hydrogen and fuel cell development in Scotland. We already have world leading hydrogen demonstration projects in Scotland such as the PURE Project in Unst. I believe our further funding will make sure Scotland builds upon existing work and maintains a strong presence in the hydrogen and fuel cell sectors.

Marine Environment

Eleanor Scott (Highlands and Islands) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Scottish Natural Heritage concerning the potential impact on the marine environment of the proposed net servicing station at Stromeferry.

Rhona Brankin: No substantive discussion has taken place between the Scottish Executive and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) on this matter.

  I understand that the proposal is being considered by the local planning authority and any decision on a planning application is a matter for them in the first instance. SNH have advised us that the proposed net washing facility at Stromeferry is adjacent to a marine consultation area and that they would expect to be consulted by the local planning authority in the normal way as part of the authority’s consideration of any planning application.

Ministerial Visits

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any minister will visit Mallaig to explain what the impact may be on Mallaig, on the surrounding area and businesses involved in fishing of being part of a coastal marine national park.

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any minister has plans to visit Mallaig and, if so, on what date.

Ross Finnie: Details of ministers’ forward diary commitments could be subject to change and are not normally released.

  We will be seeking views on the impact of a Coastal and Marine National Park on the surrounding area and businesses in the Scottish Executive consultation which will take place during the summer.

Oil and Gas Industry

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it regularly seeks information from Her Majesty’s Government in respect of the quantity of oil, condensate and gas produced from the sector of the North Sea under Scottish jurisdiction.

Allan Wilson: Oil and gas production is a matter reserved to the UK government.

  The Scottish Executive receives information about oil and gas production from a range of sources, including through the DTI’s quarterly Energy Trends publication. This contains data and commentary covering all major aspects of energy and provides a comprehensive picture of energy production and use.

  Additional data is also published monthly by the DTI on the indigenous production of primary fuels at UK level. These include coal, petroleum (including condensates), natural gas, nuclear, wind and natural-flow hydro.

Planning

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much land has been designated, or has had planning permission granted, for future housing development, broken down by local authority area, and how much of this land is designated as part of a green belt.

Johann Lamont: The Scottish Executive does not hold this information centrally. It would be for individual planning authorities to record land allocated for housing in their development plans.

Rail Network

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of railways in Scotland are electrified and what information it has on comparable figures in (a) the United Kingdom as a whole and (b) each European Union member state.

Tavish Scott: The proportion of railways electrified in Scotland is 29% compared with 40% in Great Britain. This information has been provided by Network Rail and is calculated on the basis of track kilometres.

  The EU Energy and Transport in Figures Statistical Pocketbook 2005 provides information on electrification in each European Union member state. These data are provided in the following table.

  The UK figure in the following table differs from that provided by Network Rail because it includes railways in Northern Ireland and has been calculated on the basis of route kilometres. For illustration, 1km of route of double track railway = 2 track km.

  

 Country
Total Length of Railway Line (km)
 % Electrified


 United Kingdom
 17,050
 31


 Belgium
 3,521
 83


 Czech Republic
 9,612
 31


 Denmark
 2,273
 27


 Germany
 36,054
 55


 Estonia
 959
 14


 Greece
 2,414
 3


 Spain
 14,387
 57


 France
 29,269
 50


 Ireland
 1,919
 3


 Italy
 16,287
 69


 Latvia
 2,270
 11


 Lithuania
 1,774
 7


 Luxembourg
 275
 95


 Hungary
 7,950
 36


 The Netherlands
 2,811
 73


 Austria
 5,787
 58


 Poland
 19,900
 60


 Portugal
 2,818
 38


 Slovenia
 1,229
 41


 Slovak Republic
 3,657
 43


 Finland
 5,851
 41


 Sweden
 9,882
 77

Rail Network

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what subsidy has been paid to First ScotRail to operate the ScotRail franchise in each year since 2004-05 and how much will be paid to operate the franchise in each year to 2011.

Tavish Scott: The ScotRail franchise payments are as follows:

  

 2004-05
 2005-06
 2006-07
 2007-08
 2008-09
 2009-10
 2010-11


£103.14m
£187.15m
£261.69m
£261.69m
£270.37m
£269.19m
£267.08m



  All figures shown above (with the exception of 2005-06) are specified in the franchise agreement, are expressed in 2004 prices, subject to indexation and will vary according to performance payments/penalties. The 2005-06 figure is actual. The SRA/SPT was responsible for subsidy payment at the time of the 2004-05 payment.

Rail Services

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether an additional track access charge will be levied on freight operators using the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine railway line.

Tavish Scott: Transport Scotland and the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) are discussing the introduction of track access charges for freight operators using the Alloa-Kincardine section of the new rail line. Current charges are based on the network assessment at October 2001. The new route represents an addition to the network. The intention is that the charge set by ORR should reflect both the public benefits of freeing up capacity for passenger services and the private benefits in reduced costs to the energy supply chain. We anticipate that both public and private sectors will be financially better off once the new rail line is open and in use.

  Transport Scotland has the operational responsibility for this area and can be contacted for more information, if required.

Rail Services

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was paid, and by whom, in leasing charges to (a) Angel Trains, (b) Porterbrook and (c) HSBC Rail in (i) 2002-03, (ii) 2003-04, (iii) 2004-05 and (iv) 2005-06.

Tavish Scott: It is First ScotRail, as franchisee, who leases rolling stock from the companies referred to and pays the relevant leasing charges.

  The terms of the contracts between the franchisee and the rolling stock companies, and the values attributed to these in the franchise agreement, are commercially confidential.

Scottish Enterprise

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the statement by the Deputy First Minister and Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning on 30 March 2006 that Scottish Enterprise will continue to invest over £500 million per year in Scotland’s economic future ( Official Report, c. 24609) means that Scottish Enterprise’s annual budget will be fixed at that level or above, whatever the outcome of further discussions between it and the Executive in respect of the 2006-07 budget position.

Nicol Stephen: I wrote to Sir John Ward on 11 May confirming that Scottish Enterprise’s resource budget for 2006-07 will be £550 million. A copy of this letter has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number. 39557).

Scottish Enterprise

Campbell Martin (West of Scotland) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the policy that no financial support for starting up a business is provided through Scottish Enterprise’s Business Gateway to anyone over 30 could constitute discrimination on the basis of age.

Nicol Stephen: The business start-up grant for those aged 18 to 30 is only one form of financial assistance which can be accessed by individuals looking to set up in business. Business Gateway staff can advise on a range of financial support that may be available, for example in the form of grant, equity or loans.

Sport

Ms Maureen Watt (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it has allocated for the creation of (a) all-weather pitches and (b) other outdoor sports facilities in each year since 1999.

Patricia Ferguson: Funding has been provided to  sportscotland to support the implementation of the National and Regional Sports Facilities Strategy and the development of facilities through the Lottery supported Building for Sport (BfS) programme. Under the Facilities Strategy £3 million has been allocated to each of the five indoor football facilities developments, which will include all-weather pitches. The BfS programme is a competitive programme and each application is assessed on its own merits against set criteria. Further information on programmes and awards made can be obtained from  sportscotland direct.

Student Finance

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is content that the provisions of recent legislation which enable the proportion of income invested in pension schemes to be increased have been incorporated into the formula for calculating student awards by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland.

Nicol Stephen: The Student Awards Agency for Scotland is aware of the changes to the amount of pension contributions which incur tax relief. These changes will be taken into account for award assessments.

Voluntary Organisations

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many new voluntary organisations were established in each year since 1999.

Johann Lamont: This information is not collected centrally. Only those voluntary organisations seeking charitable status have been required to register their establishment.

  Generally speaking, voluntary organisations include unincorporated community and voluntary groups, registered charities, friendly societies and a growing number of social economy organisations. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations estimates there to be around 50,000 voluntary organisations in Scotland.

  Information on the number of charities registered between 1999 and 2005 can be obtained from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. The number of new organisations granted charitable status from April 2006 onwards will be available from the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR), recently established under the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005.

Voluntary Organisations

John Swinburne (Central Scotland) (SSCUP): To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent it is encouraging community activity by church groups.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive and Communities Scotland encourage community action and engagement through a range of policies which benefit a range of community groups and individuals, including church and faith groups. In particular, the Scottish Executive Volunteering Strategy works to support groups that use volunteers in their work by dismantling barriers to volunteering and improving the volunteering experience. In practical terms, work to support community groups is taken forward by partners such as Volunteer Development Scotland, and the network of Volunteer Centres. In addition, the Minister for Communities has agreed to attend a conference in September which will promote the role that faith communities play in community regeneration.